“I’ve spent about 15 years plus some working with people’s stories in a series of communities in this country. I write plays from oral histories for those communities. Just finished my 30th. I’m watching people’s lives and communities literally change, sometimes drastically, for the work. Spider Speculations is the beginning of trying to understand the hows and whys of all the changes.”—Author Jo Carson Jo Carson lays bare her personal investigation into her own creative process after a spider bite on her back begins a series of life-altering events. Spider Speculations applies cutting edge mind-body science, quantum physics and ancient shamanistic techniques to describe how stories work in our bodies and our lives, and what happens when real stories are used in a public way. Carson, whose ability to capture the spoken word hallmarks her community-based work, sets down this story in her own distinctive voice, interspersing the journey with examples of her performance work. This truly original American book will speak to anyone thinking about art and community or engaging with people’s stories. FORMAT & EDITIONS Publisher ‏ : ‎ Theatre Communications Group (June 1, 2006) Language ‏ : ‎ English Paperback ‏ : ‎ 221 pages ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1559362832 Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.3 x 0.6 x 8.5 inches ABOUT THE AUTHOR Jo Carson is a writer and performer living in John City, Tennessee. She has published award-winning plays, short stories, children’s books, essays, poems and other work. Her play Whispering to Horses and solo show If God Came Down…premiered at Seven Stages in Atlanta. She currently performs Liars, Thieves, and Other Sinners on the Bench, made up of selected stories from her oral history plays, which will be published by TCG in 2007. REVIEW "Jo Carson has distilled some decades of community-conscious story collecting and playmaking into a pungent blend of narrative psychology, neuroscience, and spirit. Her work should be essential reading for socially responsible artists of every kind." -- Joseph Sobol, PH.D. (Storyteller; Director of the Storytelling Graduate Program at East Tennessee State University) "I think this profound, engaging and funny book is the very best that has been written on the topic of generating theater in communities. I use it in all my classes. My students love it." -- Steve Kent (Director of Theatre at University of La Verne; Founder, The Institute for Conscious Acting) "Jo Carson understands the transformative power of storytelling on both a molecular and a community level. Her genius is to be able to link the micro and the macro, and you'll be astonished at how those links get made. If this book doesn't change how you think about your own stories and the stories you want to put onstage, then, to borrow from Atticus Finch, 'You've got another thing coming.'" -- Lisa Mount (Director of Artistic Logistics; Producer and Director of Headwaters :: Stories From a Goodly Portion of Beautiful Northeast Georgia)   "Jo Carson has distilled some decades of community-conscious story collecting and playmaking into a pungent blend of narrative psychology, neuroscience, and spirit. Her work should be essential reading for socially responsible artists of every kind." -- Joseph Sobol, PH.D. (Storyteller; Director of the Storytelling Graduate Program at East Tennessee State University) "I think this profound, engaging and funny book is the very best that has been written on the topic of generating theater in communities. I use it in all my classes. My students love it." -- Steve Kent (Director of Theatre at University of La Verne; Founder, The Institute for Conscious Acting) "Jo Carson understands the transformative power of storytelling on both a molecular and a community level. Her genius is to be able to link the micro and the macro, and you'll be astonished at how those links get made. If this book doesn't change how you think about your own stories and the stories you want to put onstage, then, to borrow from Atticus Finch, 'You've got another thing coming.'" -- Lisa Mount (Director of Artistic Logistics; Producer and Director of Headwaters :: Stories From a Goodly Portion of Beautiful Northeast Georgia)